Speaker Williams seeks a second term

Former Republican may be reinstated by state party

NASHVILLE — While state House Speaker Kent Williams officially is still not a Republican, he apparently will have at least some support from GOP representatives in seeking a second term as speaker.

State Rep. Harry Brooks, R-Knoxville, said last week that he plans to support Williams, while Rep. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, said he would, too, "if he does as good next year as he did this year" in presiding over the House.

Brooks said he believes Williams has performed well and also feels a "sense of loyalty" to the man who appointed him chairman of the House Education Committee.

"That's just the way I'm made," said Brooks.

Brooks said his backing of Williams would come in the House Republican Caucus and he would not vote for Williams if he loses in the caucus nominating process. Niceley said "it's too early to say" whether he would back Williams over another nominee.

"Who knows? They might want to nominate me," he said.

Niceley said he believes Williams' bipartisan approach in appointing committee chairs and balancing committees was appropriate.

"Republicans cussed (former House Speaker Jimmy) Naifeh for 20 years for having all Democrats," he said. "If we'd gone in there and put in all Republicans, what would be the difference?"

Williams last year voted for himself as speaker along with all 49 House Democrats, giving him a victory over the Republican Caucus nominee, Jason Mumpower of Bristol.

He was subsequently banished from the GOP by former Republican Chairman Robin Smith, who cited a party bylaw that says Republican legislators must back the party nominee in legislative leadership elections.

Chris Devaney, current GOP chairman, has met once with Williams to discuss the possibility of reinstatement as a Republican. The matter was not resolved, though both have indicated they likely will meet again.

Other Republican representatives who have been supportive of Williams stopped short of saying they favor electing him to another term at this point.

Deputy Speaker Steve McDaniel of Parker's Crossroads, for example, said that his first concern is to have Williams returned to the Republican fold. If that doesn't happen, "well, I don't know … we'll just wait and see," he said.

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Former Gov. Winfield Dunn, who took an early and active role in the 2006 gubernatorial campaign of Republican Jim Bryson, was present for a Zach Wamp speech in Nashville on Monday.

But that doesn't mean he's supporting the congressman or anyone else in the Republican gubernatorial race this time around.

"I'm completely neutral," he said. "I just came to hear Zach's speech. He gave a great speech. We've got some other great candidates."

Dunn said his backing of Bryson, who lost all 95 counties in the general election, was partly an effort "to make Bredesen spend his money and time on himself, so then he wouldn't spend it on (helping Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Harold) Ford.

"That worked, to some extent," Dunn said.

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Two Republicans and two Democrats have qualified for the special election to fill the 31st Senate District seat in Shelby County, vacated when former Sen. Paul Stanley resigned amid reports of his sexual relationship with a legislative intern.

The two Republicans are state Rep. Brian Kelsey of Germantown, the apparent frontrunner, and financial services consultant James A. Harrell of Cordova. The two Democrats are party activist Adrienne Pakis-Gillon and Bobby Baker, a UPS employee.

The primary election is Oct. 15.

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State Sen. Dewayne Bunch, who shared a Nashville apartment with Stanley during the recent legislative session, says he was "just as stunned as anyone else" by revelations that Stanley had a sexual relationship with a legislative intern.

Stanley allegedly took nude photographs of 22-year-old intern McKensie Morrison in the apartment that were subsequently used in an attempt to extort $10,000 from Stanley, according to a TBI agent's testimony.

"I was oblivious to what was going on with my own roommate," Bunch said. "I never saw a female in our apartment except my wife, his wife and his daughter."

Bunch, R-Cleveland, said Stanley "made a tragic mistake in judgment that I do not defend."

Bunch and Stanley typically shared the apartment in Nashville's Metro Center area from Monday to Thursday during the legislative session, but also kept somewhat different schedules — in part because Bunch was accustomed to living in the Eastern Time zone and prone to going to sleep earlier and waking earlier than Stanley.